Event 4: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better
Day 1 Started
2012 World Series of Poker
Event 4: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2012 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$839,700
Entries
622
Level
29
Limits
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
15,000
Welcome to Event 4: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better
The third day of the 2012 World Series of Poker features the first 5 p.m. event of the summer, Event #4 $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better. It also marks the first stud variation of the summer, which tend to draw a balanced mix of amateurs and pros.
Last year, this very event drew 606 players and created a $818,110 prize pool, $200,459 of which was reserved for the winner. It was a long four-day affair, but in the end it was Chris “PiMaster” Viox who claimed his first bracelets.
Viox’s journey wasn’t easy. He had to go through the likes of Cory Zeidman, Tyson Marks and Gerard Rechnitzer at the final table before facing off against poker legend Mike Sexton in heads-up play. The Poker Hall of Famer was a fan favorite and highly experience in Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo; in fact, his only bracelet came in the variation back in 1989. Nonetheless, Viox kept his cool, overcame the pro-Sexton crowd and left his opponent with a $123,925 consolation prize.
Past Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo Champions
| Year | Player | Entrants | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Chris “PiMaster” Viox | 606 | $200,459 |
| 2010 | David Warga | 644 | $208,682 |
| 2009 | David Halpern | 467 | $159,390 |
| 2008 | Ryan Hughes | 543 | $183,368 |
| 2007* | Ryan Hughes | 340 | $176,358 |
| 2007** | Tom Schneider | 668 | $147,713 |
| 2006** | Pat Poels | 788 | $172,091 |
| 2005** | Steve Hohn | 595 | $156,985 |
| 2005* | Denis Ethier | 279 | $160,685 |
*Buy-in was $2,000
**Buy-in was $1,000
Action is set to kick off at 5 p.m. PST, so be sure to check back then as we bring you the latest and greatest from Event #4 $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better.
Level: 1
Limits: 50/100
Ante: 75
Shuffle Up and Deal!
Level 1
: 50/100, 75 ante
The tournament clock currently says there are 450 players registered for this event, but expect that number to go up as the evening wears on. For now, the cards are in the air and action is underway in Event 4: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better.
Need To Brush Up On Seven Card Stud Hi-Low? PokerNews Has You Covered
While most of our readers are familiar with the big-bet games in poker like No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha, today's Event 4: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better will be played in a limit format and one some people may not be acquainted with.
Seven Card Stud is the most popular version of stud poker and generally played anywhere between two and eight players at a time. Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better is a split-pot variant of that game and the one that's featured in today's 5:00 PM event, an event won by Chris Viox in 2011, and an event won by Phil Ivey back in 2002.
If a player stays in until the end of a hand, he or she will receive a total of seven cards. To start, each player is dealt two cards face down followed by a third card face up. Each player would then receive three more cards face up followed by the seventh and final card face down. There is a betting round after each street and often an ante before anyone receives any cards.
To become more familiar with the action, the betting rounds and all things Seven Card Stud, head over to the PokerNews Poker Rules: Seven Card Stud page and check things out. Once you're ready to test your skills on the felt, you can **play poker online by checking out one of our many PokerNews offers.
For some more information on Seven Card Stud, along with other mixed games, check out our Learning Mixed Games with Ville Wahlbeck article. There is also a Strategy with Kristy podcast featuring Chris George where he discusses mixed games with Kristy Arnett that includes some Seven Card Stud talk, so be sure to check that out as well.
**Legal restrictions apply
Notables in the Field
Level 1
: 50/100, 75 ante
We just concluded our initial walk through of the Orange Section, and we must admit we're impressed as a bevy of notables have turned out. Here's a look at who is currently in the field:
Paul "Eskimo" Clark
Shannon Shorr
Jennifer Harman
Katrina Jett
Gavin Griffin
Jonathan Aguiar
Chris Tryba
"Miami" John Cernuto
Mark Gregorich
Bryan Devonshire
Daniel Negreanu
Norman Chad
Matt Glantz
Ed Brogdan
Chad Brown
Amnon Filippi
Matt Savage
Allen Kessler
Ylon Schwartz
Bill Chen
Ray Hensen
Joe Serock
Marco Traniello
Bryan Micon
Roland Israel
Hello, Ladies
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 1
: 50/100, 75 ante
There were just over 400 players seated when this event began, and that number has since worked its way up to 484. The tournament staff says they're keen to surpass the 606-player field that assembled for this event last year.
The average age of the entrant is likely a little higher for this event than most at the WSOP, as is the percentage of women in the field. Our first quick count found at least 22 ladies seated, accounting for about 4.6% of the population here in Amazon sections Orange and Tan. If you add the dozen-or-so massage therapists that are meandering around the section, it's quite a co-ed event here.
Most notable among the women in our field Jennifer Harman. Harman has won more than $2.6 million in her tournament poker career, but it's her cash game prowess that sets her apart as one of the best players in the world, gender irrelevant. She plays all the games with all the best players in the world.
Her biggest career cash came in a WSOP Circuit event, finishing runner-up to Doug Lee in the 2005 $10,000 WSOP Circuit Championship. She's won two WSOP bracelets, too, and another one in 2012 would snap a ten-year dry spell.
Tough Table 379
Level 1
: 50/100, 75 ante
We couldn't help but take note of Table 379, which currently boasts a lineup that includes Barry Greenstein, Ben Logan, Barry Shulman and Adam Friedman. It's an eclectic mix, but you no doubt will recall them all.
Obviously Greenstein needs little introduction as he is one of the most recognizable players in the world, while Shulman grabbed poker headlines back in 2009 when he won the WSOP Europe after defeating Daniel Negreanu in heads-up play. That victory earned him a £801,603 payday and some WSOP gold.
The other two aforementioned players may not be as recognizable, but they're certainly memorable. Logan won a WSOP Circuit ring in 2010/2011 at Harrah's St. Louis in a $345 H.O.R.S.E. event for $10,755, but received more attention on last year's ESPN broadcast of the Main Event when he made a deep run, ultimately finishing in 91st place for $64,531.
In regards to Friedman, well his moment of infamy was also caught on film (check out the following video at the 3:28 mark to see the hand on ESPN):
While Friedman may never live that moment down, he's certainly proven his skill at the game as PokerNews explored in a recent Where Are They Now article.
Early Pot for Chen
Level 1
: 50/100, 75 ante
We didn't catch the action, but as we passed by Table 381 we saw the dealer pushing a pot of approximately 1,000 to Bill Chen, who had 
laid out in front of him for a six-high straight and a six low. His victim was former November Niner Ylon Schwartz, though we didn't catch his hand.
With that, Chen increased his stack to a little over 5,000, which he'll need as his table also plays host to former WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider.
Latecomers (Or, People We Missed the First Time)
Level 1
: 50/100, 75 ante
Another batch of familiar faces have just appeared on our radar:
Tom Schneider - Nicknamed "Donkeybomber"; two WSOP bracelets; formerly best known for wearing noisy pants but wearing more normal and quiet pants today; ...oh yeah, and WSOP Player of the Year in 2007
Bruce Buffer - Announcer for UFC; likes when his friends call him "The Veteran of Voice of the Octagon"; knows way around an oval poker table, too
Joe Tehan - Sometimes called "NAPT-han" for his stellar record on that tour; approaching $4 million in career cashes
Chris Amaral - A very, very tall grinder who seems due to bink something big
David Steicke - Aussie living in Hong Kong, making him China's most successful poker player ever; would be infinitely more internationally famous if Joe Hachem didn't exist
David Levy - Mixed-game master who's still searching for his first bracelet; just shy of $3 million in career earnings
Mike Leah - Better known as "GoLeafsGoEh", online and live grinder ranked #3 all-time in cashes by a Canadian
Clayton Mozdzen - Another Canadian, known as "slammedfire" online, fresh off a deep run in a €10,000 event in Monaco
David Baker - The original; the ODB; 13 cashes in the last two WSOPs combined; about $2 million in tournament cashes
James van Alstyne - Cashing in tournaments since back in the proverbial "day" (1994); nearly $4 million in career earnings